Homemade Granola Bars

These are the perfect snack! Full of flavor and rich consistency. Give them a try, you won't regret it!


Ingredients:

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup honey
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.




Source: Ina Garten - "Back to Basics"

Spring Green Risotto

I've never made Risotto before, and I was looking forward to it. This past weekend my husband wanted to try something different but sort of healthier, so I decided to try this recipe. It was a complete success! It has a velvety texture and full of fresh earthy flavors. This recipe is very comforting, so with one portion you'll have more than enough.


Ingredients:


1 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
1 cup chopped fennel
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
2/3 cup dry white wine
4 to 5 cups simmering chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 pound thin asparagus
10 ounces frozen peas, defrosted, or 1 1/2 cups shelled fresh peas
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, preferably Italian
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives, plus extra for serving


Directions:

Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and fennel and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Add the rice and stir for a minute to coat with the vegetables, oil, and butter. Add the white wine and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until most of the wine has been absorbed. Add the chicken stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring almost constantly and waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding more. This process should take 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the asparagus diagonally in 1 1/2-inch lengths and discard the tough ends. Blanch in boiling salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, until al dente. Drain and cool immediately in ice water. (If using fresh peas, blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes until the starchiness is gone.)

When the risotto has been cooking for 15 minutes, drain the asparagus and add it to the risotto with the peas, lemon zest, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Continue cooking and adding stock, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is tender but still firm.

Whisk the lemon juice and mascarpone together in a small bowl. When the risotto is done, turn off the heat and stir in the mascarpone mixture plus the Parmesan cheese and chives. Set aside, off the heat, for a few minutes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve hot with a sprinkling of chives and more Parmesan cheese.


Source: Ina Garten - "Back to Basics".

Flaky biscuits

Nothing like a flaky warm biscuit for a hearty breakfast or simply to have a cup of coffee with some biscuits and jelly... delicious! I saw this recipe online, and decided to try it. I wasn't disappointed!


Ingredients:

2 c. all purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp cold unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. melted butter
3/4 c. milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In large bowl, sift or whisk together flour, powder and salt. Cut the butter, very cold, into dry ingredients until butter pieces are about the size of a pea. Add the milk and mix until just combined (texture should be sticky, moist and lumpy).

Roll the dough out on surface prepared with powdered sugar (rather than flour) into an aproximate 1 inch thickness (the more generous you are with the thickness, the bigger your biscuits will be).

Cut with lightly floured biscuit cutter and place on prepared baking sheet.

Brush each biscuit with the melted butter.

Place in oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes or longer until tops are nicely browned.

Serve immediately.


Source: "Joy of Cooking"

Almost a Cobb Salad... only lighter

We are Cobb Salad lovers in our family. The other day we had some friends over for dinner and wanted to make a green salad that would look as delicious as the Cobb one, only lighter... sort of! :D

So, I found this recipe at one of my favorite food blogs: "Smitten Kitchen". She made this Classic Cobb Salad, adapted from Saveur. You can check her recipe here. I love the way it looked, so in order to make my salad a side dish instead, I switch the blue cheese for feta and didn't add the chicken.


Ingredients:
Serves 4 to 6


- For the Dressing: 

3/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste


- For the Salad:

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 head red leaf lettuce, chopped

2 ounces feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

6 strips cooked bacon, roughly chopped

2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 medium tomatoes, peeled*, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro, for garnish


Directions:


- To make the dressing: Combine the canola oil, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire, sugar, and garlic in a blender/food processor. Purée the ingredients to make a smooth dressing and season with salt and pepper. Set the dressing aside.

Note: If you're planning on making the dressing only for the salad, you'll only need half of what the recipe calls for.


To make the salad: On a (very) large platter, combine the lettuces. (It's important to remove all the extra water from washing them). Arrange the feta cheese, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, and avocado on top of the greens in neat rows.

To serve, drizzle salad with dressing, season with salt and pepper, and top with the cilantro leaves. Alternatively, toss everything together in a bowl.

If you want to make this salad ahead, this is her advice for it:

Salad dressing keeps, covered and refrigerated, for up to one week. Individual ingredients (except the avocado, which is too prone to browning) can be prepped and chopped, and kept in separate containers in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble the salad. However, no doubt due to sturdiness of 2/3 of the lettuces, I found that the entire assembled salad kept surprisingly well wrapped in plastic in the fridge for a few hours.

Enjoy!

Source: www.smittenkitchen.com

Shortbread Cookies

Some times you just crave something simple but comforting... If you need to satisfy your sweet tooth, I highly recommend you this recipe!

Ingredients:

3/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and cut with a 3 by 1-inch finger-shaped cutter. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature.





Source: Food Network - Recipe Courtesy of Ina Garten

English Muffins

English Muffins are the kind of project you want to get your children involved. They are really fun to make, though the waiting is quite long, they are totally worth of!


Ingredients:
Yields: 6 English muffins

2¼ cups (10 ounces) unbleached bread flour
½ tablespoon (.25 ounce) granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon (.19 ounce) salt
1¼ teaspoons (.14 ounce) instant yeast
1 tablespoon (.5 ounce) shortening or unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ to 1 cup (6 to 8 ounces) milk or buttermilk, at room temperature
Cornmeal for dusting


Directions:


Stir together the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Stir in (or mix in on low speed with the paddle attachment) the shortening and ¾ cup milk until the ingredients form a ball. If there is still loose flour in the bowl, dribble in some of the remaining ¼ cup milk. The dough should be soft and pliable, not stiff.

Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and begin kneading (or mixing on medium speed with the dough hook). Knead the dough for about 10 minutes (or mix for about 8 minutes), sprinkling in more flour if needed to make a tacky, but not sticky, dough. It should pass the windowpane test and register 77° to 81° degrees F. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

Ferment at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size.

Wipe the counter with a damp cloth and transfer the dough to the counter. Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces of 3 ounces each. Shape the pieces into boules (or round rolls). Line a sheet pan with baking parchment, mist the parchment lightly with spray oil, and dust with cornmeal. Transfer the balls of dough to the sheet pan, spacing them about 3 inches apart. Mist them lightly with spray oil, sprinkle them loosely with cornmeal, and cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap or a towel.

Proof at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or until the pieces nearly double in size and swell both up and out.

Heat a skillet or flat griddle to medium (350°F if you have a thermometer setting). Also, preheat the oven to 350°F with the oven rack on the middle shelf.

Brush the pan or griddle with vegetable oil or mist with spray oil. Uncover the muffin rounds and gently transfer them to the pan, sliding a metal spatula under them and lifting them to the pan. Fill the pan so that the pieces are at least 1 inch apart, not touching. Cover the pieces still on the sheet pan with the plastic wrap or a towel to prevent them from developing a skin. The dough that is being cooked will flatten in the pan and spread slightly, then the pieces will puff somewhat. Cook them for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the bottom of the dough cannot cook any longer without burning. The bottoms should be a rich golden brown; they will brown quickly but will not burn for awhile, so resist the temptation to turn them prematurely or they will fall when you flip them over. Carefully flip the pieces over with the metal spatula and cook on the other side for 5 to 8 minutes in the same manner. Both sides will now be flat. When the dough seems as if it cannot endure any further cooking without burning, transfer the pieces to a sheet pan and place the pan in the oven (don’t wait for the still uncooked pieces, or the ones just out of the pan will cool down and will not respond to the oven stage). Bake for 5 to 8 minutes on the middle shelf in the oven to ensure that the center is baked. Meanwhile, return to the uncooked pieces and cook them, then bake them, as you did the first round.

Transfer the baked muffins to a cooling rack and cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing or serving.

Source: The Bread Baker’s Apprentice

Indian Inspired Chicken with Chiles and Tomatoes

Hey there! I am back after a few weeks of sabbatical! The recipe I am sharing today became one of our favorites. The original recipe calls for shrimp but my husband was craving some chicken, so that's how I ended up making this. Hope you enjoy it!


Ingredients:

1/4 cup ghee or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 1/2 cups finely chopped red onion
4 to 6 green chiles, seeded and finely chopped
3 tablespoons minced ginger
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (13.5-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
2 regular chicken breasts, cubed and seared with salt and pepper / 1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Steamed basmati rice, for serving


Directions:

Set a 14-inch saute pan over medium heat. Add the ghee and toast the mustard seeds and cumin until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the onions, chiles, ginger and garlic and saute, stirring occasionally, until the onions are slightly caramelized, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste to the pan and cook for 2 minutes more. Pour the diced tomatoes into the pan and cook until reduced by about half, 3 to 4 minutes. Raise the heat to high, and add the coconut milk. Cook the coconut milk until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. (If you're using shrimp, season it with 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt). Add the chicken / shrimp to the pan, stirring often, and cook until curled and pink, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped cilantro and season with the remaining salt. Serve the shrimp over steamed basmati rice.

Enjoy!


Source: Food Network - Recipe Courtesy of Emeril Lagassi